Linguine vongole – possibly the most perfect pasta dish. Lots of garlic and fresh salty clams – delicious!
Wine suggestion: working well with this dish is the under-rated grape from the south of Italy: Fiano. We’d highly recommend seeking it out as it has the beguiling fresh, almost crisp stonefruit character and some sort of citrus twist depending on where it comes from. While most is grown in Campagnia and the south of Italy it’s now being found successfully in Argentina and Australia, like Pikes “Luccio” from the Clare Valley … where the citrus twist is lime and delicious at that.
Linguine Vongole – serves 4
- 1kg fresh clams
- 400g linguine
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cloves of garlic, sliced very thinly
- 1 large red chilli, finely chopped
- 100ml white wine
- 30g unsalted butter
- 20g flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 large lemon
Put the clams in a sinkful of water with a decent handful of salt, then discard any that don’t close.
Bring a large pan of salty water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the timings on the pack.
Meanwhile, put the olive oil, garlic and chilli into another large pan, then turn on the heat and allow them to cook gently for a few minutes but without taking on any colour. When it smells really good, add the wine and cover the pan. Turn the heat up high and when the wine is steaming, add the clams. Clamp the lid back on and give the pan a shake, then leave for a few minutes.
Reserve a large mug of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and add it to the pot of cooked clams. Add a good splash of pasta water, the butter and parsley. Mix and toss well to make a sauce that coats the pasta. Squeeze in the juice from half the lemon and grate in some lemon zest. Mix again, then season if needed. Serve with a drizzle of your best olive oil.
(Original recipe from The Farm Table by Julius Roberts, Ebury Press, 2023.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 